Golisano Children’s Hospital, Syracuse, NY. Dick Blume/The Post Standard
Syracuse, N.Y. — Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital has treated two children for a rare and potentially deadly side effect of the coronavirus.
The hospital diagnosed two kids with Covid-19-related multisystem inflammatory syndrome, MIS-C for short.
One child was admitted in May and the other in June, hospital spokeswoman Kathleen Paice-Froio said in an email. Both children have been discharged and sent home. Upstate reported the cases to the state Health Department.
Upstate declined to disclose the childrens’ ages, hometowns or any other details about their cases.
Parents should not be alarmed about MIS-C because the condition is extremely rare, said Dr. Jana Shaw, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Upstate.
The state Health Department is investigating 230 statewide cases of children with the syndrome. The symptoms can include prolonged fever, severe abdominal pain, skin rashes, diarrhea, vomiting, trouble breathing, a racing heart and fatigue.
A state Health Department study of 99 children with the condition found 80% of them required intensive care. Two died.
Shaw said very few children get Covid-19. Most kids who do get Covid-19 don’t show symptoms or get mildly ill, she said.
MIS-C often appears about 30 days after children get infected with Covid-19.
“The immune system goes crazy trying to deal with the previous infection,” Shaw said. Most of the kids who get MIS-C were previously healthy.
Treatment often includes anti-inflammatory drugs and other medications to reduce inflammation.
In April, doctors in London announced they had discovered some children with Covid-19 developed an inflammatory condition that can attack the heart. Doctors in New York soon began reporting cases, too.
Shaw said parents of children who have tested positive for Covid-19 or been exposed to someone with the virus should contact their doctors if their kids get rashes, fevers and other MIS-C symptoms.
James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or [email protected]
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